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Better Know... Atrocitus

This is an intro feature for Infinite Crisis, the DC Comics MOBA. It covers Atrocitus fundamentals: customizing, playing as him, and playing against him. As with any introduction, nothing here is writ in stone. All advice is subject to practice and experimentation.

OVERVIEW

Atrocitus likes to charge into a fight like a freight truck having a bad day. He’s an Enforcer, making him tough. But he can also serve up some pain.

SKILLS & THE RAGE METER

Before diving into each of Atrocitus’ skills, it’s highly recommended you read-up on his passive, Red Lantern’s Rage. This will help you comprehend the reasoning for his skill-order and situational tactics.

Passive – Red Lantern’s Rage

Atrocitus doesn’t have a Will Meter to fuel his skills. Instead, he’s got a Rage Meter.
Rage is gained by using basic attacks or when Atrocitus receives damage. (Damage from enemy champions gives slightly more Rage.) Once he’s gained 50 or more Rage, Atrocitus enters the Enraged state. While Enraged, the next skill used receives added effects. Using an Enraged skill drains 50 Rage, and Rage also depletes over time if no damage is received or basic attacks are made.
Atrocitus can have a maximum of 100 Rage. So, at most, you can fire off two Enraged skills before hitting 0 Rage. In addition, when damaged, Atrocitus unleashes a small explosion of Power Damage in an area around him. This triggers once every two seconds.

Q: Crimson Slash

Atrocitus resets his basic attack cooldown, empowering his next basic attack to deal additional Power Damage and slow the target’s Move Speed.
Enraged: Power Damage hits an area around the target, and every enemy damaged is slowed.

W: Come At Me

For a few seconds, Atrocitus forces nearby drones and creatures to attack him and receives damage reduction. This reduction will increase based on Atrocitus’ missing health.
Enraged: While active, Come At Me increases the frequency and Power Damage of Red Lantern’s Rage area of effect explosion.

E: Overwhelming Rage

Fills a target champion with Rage, forcing them into a mirrored charge with Atrocitus. When the two collide, the enemy is dealt Power Damage and is briefly Rooted.
Enraged: Atrocitus taunts his target, forcing them to make basic attacks on each other for a short duration. Both have increased Attack Speed but reduced basic attack damage.

R: Plasma Wave

Atrocitus spews a cone of plasma on his enemies to increase all incoming damage and deal Power Damage over time. For each champion hit, Atrocitus gains a flat amount of rage.

SELECTING STOLEN POWERS

Atrocitus' Meteor Drop slows all enemies it hits, in additional to dealing damage.

If leveling in the jungle, any variation of Consume helps you destroy neutral drones faster while also healing Atrocitus.

If leveling in-lane, Psychic Assault is useful for slowing an enemy during team fights. Super Speed is also great for initiating fights, which you’ll be doing often!

BUILDING ARTIFACTS

Two strong artifacts for Atrocitus are Atlantean Royal Seal and Cosmic Belt. You can add some durability with Ruby of Life, Fragment of Mogo, and Ra’s al Ghul’s Robe.

Always experiment with artifact choices. You may need a different balance of offense and defense for maps like Gotham Heights, or when facing a unique variety of enemy champions.

PLAYING AS ATROCITUS

Playing Atrocitus is all about managing the Rage Meter. Predicting how many basic attacks you’ll need to hit 50 Rage is all about practice, but knowing a few tips upfront can help smooth your learning curve.
Whether ganking from the urban jungle or initiating an enemy in-lane, your prime skill combo is often Overwhelming Rage -> Crimson Slash.
Ideally, always open a fight while Enraged. Remember that Rage decays over time, meaning over distance traveled. If the enemy is a good distance away, 50 Rage won’t quite cut it. How much will? It depends: this is where practice comes into play.

Gotham Heights

Try to stick with your team on Gotham Heights. Teammates can capitalize on your use of Overwhelming Rage or Plasma Wave only if they’re within damage range. This basic tactic is particularly useful when fighting over the Orbital Cannon.

Urban Jungle

A good start is taking Crimson Slash at level 1. Then you’ll want Overwhelming Rage at level 2. This helps you defend an ally’s lane, or attack an enemy’s lane (if you’re not fighting a jungle creature.) Use your enraged Overwhelming Rage to force an enemy champion into a fight, and follow with Crimson Slash, slowing the enemy’s move speed. Meanwhile, your allies can attack your taunted target.
Just remember to taunt enemy champions like Blasters or Marksmen, because their skills require almost entirely offensive artifacts, making them squishy targets. Assassins are a decent choice, although sometimes Assassins forge armor and health, like Enforcers and Bruisers, who almost always do, making them all harder targets.
Basically, always taunt the squishy, unless you’re trying to help an ally escape. Then target the chasing enemy champion, like a boss.

In-Lane

In a solo lane, when the chance presents itself, try using Overwhelming Rage while Enraged to taunt your enemy into your turret, and follow-up with Crimson Slash to slow them into taking even more turret shots.

Atrocitus is an Enforcer, and can shine in a duo lane. Your Overwhelming Rage followed by Crimson Slash is a strong way to initiate a fight with the opposing champions, so maxing out Overwhelming Rage first will greatly help you dominate your chosen lane.

Additionally, try taunting enemies into your drones every so often for the extra damage. If in doing this you create openings for your lane ally to throw out some damage, all the better.

PLAYING AGAINST ATROCITUS

First rule when fighting Atrocitus: be mindful of Overwhelming Rage. It can and will force you into suffering tons of damage, especially if you’re fighting Atrocitus near one of his turrets.
Watch his Rage Meter. It can tell you when he’s readied an enraged skill. If he’s enraged, and you’re potentially vulnerable, keep your distance.

When Atrocitus takes damage, his passive will deal area Power Damage around him. If you plan to engage him often, you might consider forging some Power Armor. In team fights or skirmishes, the ideal tactic is to bypass him and focus on the enemy with less armor and health.

If Atrocitus nails your team with Plasma Wave, it will instantly give him a full Rage Meter. In moments like this it’s often best to practice caution until his Rage Meter is depleted.